Monday 5th September - ASC Boys Basketball

Wednesday 7th September - Year 9 Geography Excursion

Thursday 8th September - Dance Festival

and a great performance at the ACT Teen Chef Competition…

where our extremely dedicated Year 10 students, supported by their inspiring teacher, Mrs Annie Daley, won second place (with only one point the difference between them and the winning team).  I was privileged to see them in action as they prepared for the competition, I witnessed the magnificently presented dishes and tasted the fruits of their labour.  I was totally impressed not only by their very developed skills but the way they were able to talk so articulately about the dishes they were preparing.  To perform to such a level required hours of concentrated work and it was very humbling to see the way they rose to the challenge.

…the Performing Arts evening…

which was held last night. The evening showcased the many and varied talents that the students at JPC are developing, from performances from the School Concert Band, Rock and Unplugged bands, through to the Dance and Drama performances and Art/Media/and Photography presentations. Our students were able to produce polished and professional products and performances that staff, students and parents were justifiably proud of. Many parents commented on the wonderful atmosphere of the evening and the high level of each of the performances.  The lovely evening was rounded off by a superb supper provided by Mrs Belinda Kelly, Mrs Annie Daley and the staff of the Canteen.

Photos and a more detailed report will be in Key Messages next week.

And finally… Dancefest…

A reminder that next week, Wednesday 8 September, our students are performing at Dancefest at the Canberra Theatre for the first time. This production has evolved very much from our philosophy of Self-directed learning where the production, preparation and creative ideas have been generated by the students themselves. We have certainly been impressed with all the students involved but this work has also been recognised outside our school community. I have included the link to an article that has appeared on hercanberra.com which celebrates our students self-directed learning approach to Dancefest.
http://hercanberra.com.au/cpcity/ausdance-act-youth-dance-festival/

I wish all families a safe and happy weekend.

Catherine Rey

This term Year 10 students have been exploring a unit of work in Religious Education entitled Church in Dialogue. As part of their learning, students have contemplated the reasons for divisions within Christianity, visited Christian places of worship to see these different approaches in action, and unpacked Census data to gain an awareness of trends of religious affiliation in Australia. Today marked the culmination of their work on ecumenism with the presentation of their assessment work. This task required students to collaborate in small groups to prepare a presentation for an ‘Ecumenical Forum’ on a particular organisation working towards Christian unity. Students then shared their findings in an information session, with other students asking the important questions to gain understanding of the works of these diverse groups. The caliber of the information presented was exceptional and a credit to the engagement of Year 10 in their study of RE this year. It was particularly exciting for us as their teachers to see how willingly these students engaged with each other in the process, embracing the skills of collaborative work and learning that are so crucial to our evolving society.

Mrs. Nicola Edghill and Miss Elle Boller
Year 10 RE Teachers

On Friday, 19 August we held our annual JPC Athletics Carnival. Although the windy conditions made some events difficult, there was great participation from all. There was many records also broken which is great to see. We will be announcing age champions and places at the next house assembly. The final point score saw a narrow margin between two houses, with Kennedy house narrowly winning the carnival. On behalf of JPC we would just like to thank Gungahlin Little Athletics for helping us with some equipment on the day and also all teachers and staff for their help with the events and running of the carnival. It was a windy but fabulous day.

Nicholas Whatman

The Year 9/10 Business students have been busy learning about setting up and running a small business. The students ran their chosen businesses during recess and lunch on Tuesday and Thursday of this week. It was great to see the students so engaged and committed in putting their business ideas into practice and lots was on offer: from tie-dyed socks, a photo booth, movies, soccer training to yummy healthy food. The profit made will all go to a charity of the students choosing. Well done to all!

Ms Daley and Mrs Ganderton

JPC Year 10 students, Alicia Alarcon, Tom Mugridge, Eryn Benedictos and Hannah Markmann, were runner up Teen Chef’s to St Clare’s by a mere 1 point. Their commitment leading up to the competition and performance on the day was outstanding. The judges commended their teamwork, technical skill, ingredient knowledge, creativity and presentation. Congratulations team!

Thank you to all who were involved in supporting the students, especially the parents and the JPC staff. A very big thank you to Mrs Belinda Kelly for her help and support and organising the very professional chef’s uniforms for the students to wear. Thanks also to Mr Anthony Pitt for the handiwork on the board Tom used to present his main course.

Annie Daley

Dear JPC community,
          
The Social Justice group is working on a project to support people less fortunate than us by preparing Hygiene Kits.

The St Vincent de Paul night patrol van will be delivering these Hygiene Kits to homeless people in Canberra.

So far, we have received a number of donations – especially from year 7 and 8 students, so well done!

If you would like to help make these Hygiene Kits, please purchase and bring the following items to school. Each year group will be responsible for bringing in certain items.
          
            Year 7: Shampoo, Conditioner & Face Washers
            Year 8: Soap, Wet Wipes & Face Washers
            Year 9: Toothbrushes, Toothpaste & Face Washers
            Year 10: Combs or Brushes, Sanitisers & Face Washers
          
Please give your donations to Mrs Ganderton or Ms Zorzi, and the Social Justice group will soon begin to make the kits.
     

Thank you so much for your support,

JPC Social Justice Group students

We are now enrolling new students for Instrumental Lessons to commence at the beginning of 4th Term at St John Paul II College.

Instrumental lessons are the first step in creating music pathways throughout your life.  Whether your goal is to perform on big stages in front of thousands of people, or perhaps to just enjoy music by yourself, having instrumental lessons is where you will get the correct information on crucial factors such as technique, rhythm, pitching and time feel.  It is also proven that learning a musical instrument helps create new pathways within your brain that are otherwise unutilised. It helps with confidence, makes you happier, improves visual and verbal skills, and the list goes on.  So get involved! Fill out the attached forms and leave them at the office at St John Paul II College.

Regards

Aron Lyon
Co-Curricular Music Coordinator
St John Paul II College
aronlyon@hotmail.com

St Clare's is hosting a community presentation from the Office of the Children's eSafety Commissioner on Monday 24 October 5.30-7.30pm. We warmly invite any interested parents, students and staff of the JPC community to attend this event and would ask anyone who is interested to register via the link included on the poster. Community Given recent website events it would certainly be relevant!